Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 12 Fall 1993 On Campus Inspiring Renaissance educators ASPIRE, the College of Education's program for minority students, means success for those enrolled in the two-year-old program. Officially called the Academic Support Program Inspiring Renaissance Educators, ASPIRE has a 100 percent retention rate. All 14 members of its first-year class returned to the University after successfully completing their freshman year, according to Gail Rys, program director. This fall, ASPIRE has enrolled 15 new students, including seven Hispanic students and two Native Americans from Delaware, for a total of 49 participants. "We're especially pleased that African-American men have enrolled in the program as they are under-represented in schools and are important as role models," Jim Shaw, ASPIRE coordinator, says. The goal of ASPIRE is to attract minority students to the field of education and also help them make a successful transition from high school to college. "That first year is critical, and advisement, learning study skills and support are the keys. The students we attract are highly qualified, but college-level studies are more demanding," Shaw says. Students meet with advisers on a biweekly basis and take one-credit courses in self-management and study skills. They also are enrolled as a group in a required core course in math, science, education or social studies. They meet for an informal program one Saturday a month and sometimes have outside speakers. Rys teaches one of the support courses, enabling her to give assistance when needed. "Students keep a journal for the course so I know what is going on. If they have a problem with a roommate, for example, I tell them to talk to their resident adviser to see what can be done to change the situation," she says. The older students act as mentors to the new students, and leaders tend to emerge from the group. For example, one student took it upon himself to give everyone a wake-up call to make sure they attended the Saturday morning sessions. By the year 2000, approximately 30 percent of the nation's school children are expected to be non-white, but only 5 percent of the teachers are predicted to be minorities, according to Rys. ASPIRE encourages qualified African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans to consider careers in elementary and special education to meet the needs of future generations, she says. -Sue Swyers Moncure